The Federal Government on Wednesday issued the final approval the K-IV that would supply around 260 million gallons of water for the city.

This was announced during a meeting chaired by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Nadeemul Haq.

On this occasion, Managing Director Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KW&SB) Misbahuddin Farid stated that the Irrigation Department of Sindh already approved the provision of 600 cusec (260 million gallon) additional supply from the River Indus to Karachi.

In the first stage of the project, citizens of Karachi would be provided with an additional 260 million gallon of water a day and the amount would thereafter be gradually increased.

So far, this is the biggest water supply project as all the previously completed projects by KWSB were not of more than 100 million gallon.

The MD Water Board hoped that provided that the funds would be released on time so that the project could be completed within four years. He also stated that this project would not only help KWSB overcome the shortage in water supply , but also allow industrial growth in the city. He said that the approval of additional water supply to Karachi is an Eid gift for citizens.

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Waking up to changing technological trends, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) is currently working on a new website that will allow the city administration to connect with millions of residents through their cell phones.

On Tuesday many people received a message from KMC, wishing them a happy independence day.

The website, will be formally launched next month and will feature downloadable mobile phone applications for Blackberry, Android, iPhone and Symbian phones. However, it can already be viewed by any device equipped with an internet connection.

“This is the way forward for the local government,” said KMC Administrator Mohammad Hussain Syed. “Cities around the world are using cellular phones to keep their residents informed.”

Syed admitted that the idea to have a website for the city administration struck him while he visited foreign cities. “The idea is to provide various services to the public’s finger tips. In Sri Lanka, the government is helping people remember vaccination appointments for their children [through text messages].”

KMC followed suit and has added a vaccination calendar to its website that will inform subscribers about their next doctor’s appointment. The website contains contact details of various KMC departments as well as other organisations, and lists popular shopping malls and food eateries with their addresses. Information about police stations, banks and utility stores is also available.

Traffic updates

Of particular interest to the city’s residents would be the feature that would provide details about the entire bus route network, as well as traffic jams in the entire city. “There is no way for people to know which alternate routes they need to take in case of a gridlock [at a major thoroughfare].” KMC plans to send out hundreds of thousands of text messages to inform people around the city if a traffic jam clogs up a particular thoroughfare, and tell them some of the other roads which they could use. While weather updates are already available on the internet, KMC intends to inform residents about possible rains in order to help them take preventive measures, said Syed.

Map to rival Google Maps

Syed has himself taken up the task to map as many shops that are scattered over the city as possible.

“Drive through Zamzama and I bet you will get lost in one of the lanes. Some shops do not even have proper signboards. It could be a nightmare finding a location in Karachi,” he said.

While large stores and supermarkets, popular hotspots and food franchises can be found through Google Maps, pinpointing the location of a local shoe store or a boutique remains difficult.

KMC plans to make good use of its internees as it starts gathering details about the shops across the city, including their contact numbers, which it would then upload it on the website in the shape of a map.

“Women are especially susceptible to getting lost. This application could really help them,” opined the city administrator.

The tale of two websites

The all-encompassing website, however, is not being designed by KMC’s information technology department, but by Dockland Technologies.

A senior official pointed out that there was no need to award a contract to a private company to develop a new website when a portal, www.karachicity.gov.pk already exits. “Every link, every service-based application should originate from the existing website. There is no precedent for a city having two separate websites,” said the official.

KMC’s public complaint cell could have been easily used to send out text messages to the people. “This is public money we are talking about. We need to build proper roads, sewage and garbage pickup systems,” said the official.

Under former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal, the city government had launched a website. It appears that there is not much difference between information available at that website and the prospective risingkarachi.gov.pk.

“It looks like a tussle between KMC and those who run iownkarachi.com. In the end, citizens will ask how many criminals have been caught with the help from closed-circuit cameras that were installed using millions of rupees of taxpayer money,” opined the official.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17th, 2012.

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The Federal Government on Wednesday issued the final approval the K-IV that would supply around 260 million gallons of water for the city.

This was announced during a meeting chaired by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Nadeemul Haq.

On this occasion, Managing Director Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KW&SB) Misbahuddin Farid stated that the Irrigation Department of Sindh already approved the provision of 600 cusec (260 million gallon) additional supply from the River Indus to Karachi.

In the first stage of the project, citizens of Karachi would be provided with an additional 260 million gallon of water a day and the amount would thereafter be gradually increased.

So far, this is the biggest water supply project as all the previously completed projects by KWSB were not of more than 100 million gallon.

The MD Water Board hoped that provided that the funds would be released on time so that the project could be completed within four years. He also stated that this project would not only help KWSB overcome the shortage in water supply , but also allow industrial growth in the city. He said that the approval of additional water supply to Karachi is an Eid gift for citizens.

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Three new truck terminals are being planned on the outskirts of Karachi to ease the flow of traffic in the city.
The terminals equipped with all modern trucking facilities will be built by the Sindh Transport Department at a cost of Rs22 billion. The project will be funded by local and foreign firms, including the provision of land for the three terminals. They will be named Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Truck Terminals, sources in the transport department told The Express Tribune.
One truck stop each will be constructed along all the three major highways of Karachi: the National Highway, the Super Highway and the Northern Bypass near the RCD Highway. The terminals would be spread over an area ranging between 250 acres and 400 acres. Each terminal will be equipped with modern security systems, including closed-circuit television cameras and vehicle tracking. The facility would also include offices, hotels, mosques, automobile workshops, hostels, auditoriums and cinemas. The truckers will be provided parking space and all other facilities to keep them away from parking their vehicles on the roads and illegal truck stands in Karachi, the sources said.
The parking areas of the terminal will be completed within three months while the whole project will take three years to complete.
“We are taking these initiatives to reduce the traffic pressure in Karachi and to provide a secure and peaceful environment to the truckers,” said Ali Nawaz Panhwar, the transport deputy secretary, while talking to The Express Tribune,
The project is awaiting the finalisation of the deal between the Sindh government and a private company, Integrated Consulting Services, which will fund the project. A committee has been formed, including representatives of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and provincial police, transport, home and law departments, to iron out the agreement.
All stakeholders, including transporters, are being taken into confidence regarding the project, Panhwar said.
The official was very optimistic about the project in terms of reducing the traffic problems of Karachi. Road jams in Karachi will reduce substantially as only those trucks will be allowed to enter Karachi that are to be loaded or unloaded, the rest will stay at the terminals, he said. According to Panhwar, the truck terminals will be Pakistan’s first to be built on international standards. The sponsoring companies will provide water, electricity and other civic facilities at the site and the truckers will be able to avail them on minimal daily charges.

Pakistan and Japan are likely to sign a 'pledge agreement' for releasing over $2.5 billion sanctioned for the revival of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) by October this year. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved KCR's revised cost estimates, increasing it to $2.56 billion from the earlier estimate of $1.5 billion.

A pledge agreement would be signed with Tokyo for securing loan disbursement, Business Recorder learnt. According to sources, another survey team from Japan is scheduled to visit Karachi next month to finalise the loaning process. Following the team's report and pledge agreement, the process of releasing the loan is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Once fund release start, resettlement of thousands of people displaced because of the project would be started.

Ecnec has also chalked out a way out for resolving the pending issue of 're-lending' of KCR funds by the Japanese government. Japanese government made it clear that any reduction in the fund in terms of taxes or charges on other heads could make the entire project unviable. Thus the resolution of re-lending issue was needed to avoid any cut funds for the mega project.

According to sources at Karachi Urban Transport Corporation (KUTC), the vehicle for implementation of the KCR project, direct transfer of the amount to KUTC through the federal government, could cause a drastic cut in the approved funding. This procedure of releasing funds would face a "risk rate" cut of 6.8 percent and almost 12 percent "interest rate", making the total deduction of 18 percent. However, the fund could be saved if the amount was transferred to the corporation through Pakistan Railways.

Besides, the cost of the project was revised for second time because of procedural delay in the commencement of the project. The cost also increased because of additional resettlement charges. Various studies such as the Environmental Impact Assessment Study (EIAS) and resettlement action plan have already been carried out under the aegis of Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro).

The KCR project, aimed at mitigating traffic problems in Sindh metropolis, was to be funded by the government of Japan through the Japan Bank of International Co-operation (JBIC). Tokyo has commissioned 100 percent funding for the project under a 'Step Loan' at 0.2 percent mark-up with a pay-back of 40 years time, including a 10-year grace period

Three new truck terminals are being planned on the outskirts of Karachi to ease the flow of traffic in the city.
The terminals equipped with all modern trucking facilities will be built by the Sindh Transport Department at a cost of Rs22 billion. The project will be funded by local and foreign firms, including the provision of land for the three terminals. They will be named Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Truck Terminals, sources in the transport department told The Express Tribune.
One truck stop each will be constructed along all the three major highways of Karachi: the National Highway, the Super Highway and the Northern Bypass near the RCD Highway. The terminals would be spread over an area ranging between 250 acres and 400 acres. Each terminal will be equipped with modern security systems, including closed-circuit television cameras and vehicle tracking. The facility would also include offices, hotels, mosques, automobile workshops, hostels, auditoriums and cinemas. The truckers will be provided parking space and all other facilities to keep them away from parking their vehicles on the roads and illegal truck stands in Karachi, the sources said.
The parking areas of the terminal will be completed within three months while the whole project will take three years to complete.
We are taking these initiatives to reduce the traffic pressure in Karachi and to provide a secure and peaceful environment to the truckers, said Ali Nawaz Panhwar, the transport deputy secretary, while talking to The Express Tribune,
The project is awaiting the finalisation of the deal between the Sindh government and a private company, Integrated Consulting Services, which will fund the project. A committee has been formed, including representatives of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and provincial police, transport, home and law departments, to iron out the agreement.
All stakeholders, including transporters, are being taken into confidence regarding the project, Panhwar said.
The official was very optimistic about the project in terms of reducing the traffic problems of Karachi. Road jams in Karachi will reduce substantially as only those trucks will be allowed to enter Karachi that are to be loaded or unloaded, the rest will stay at the terminals, he said. According to Panhwar, the truck terminals will be Pakistans first to be built on international standards. The sponsoring companies will provide water, electricity and other civic facilities at the site and the truckers will be able to avail them on minimal daily charges.

Good step. I hate watching NATO supply trucks parked on local roads/ highway

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I really don't see much utility in a train running in a circular path around the city. Make a proper metro FFS! Dubai's metro project cost is around 7 billion AFTER cost overruns. And this is possibly the best metro in the world in terms of how modern the stations and trains are. At $2.5 billion we can build at least half as good a metro system. Not to mention that Karachi has a lot more commuters, hence even if the cost goes up to $5 billion, they can break even much quicker.

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